Volkswagen Just Crushed The Honda Civic Type R's Nurburgring Record

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Here's why we may get a faster Civic Type R as a result.

It was just about a week ago that we caught wind of Volkswagen’s latest hot hatch, the GTI Clubsport S. Now the automaker has announced that its hardcore, track-focused two-door has swiped the Nurburgring record for fastest FWD car from the Honda Civic Type R. Professional German racer Benny Leuchter piloted the Clubsport S around the Green Hell in 7:49.21. The Honda Civic Type R’s fastest lap was 7:50.63. That’s a full second faster, but the Clubsport S was designed with lap time records in mind.

It packs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 305 horsepower and does 0-62 mph in just 5.8 seconds. It’s also light as hell at just 2,883 pounds. This is thanks in part to it only having two doors and no backseats. Also the only transmission on offer is a six-speed manual. Unfortunately the hardcore GTI Clubsport S is limited to 400 units, and none of those are coming stateside. That’s pretty crappy, but there is good news. Last summer the chief engineer of the Civic Type R told Top Gear Magazine that the team would build a faster version of its hot hatch if another automaker took its Nurburgring crown. Now Hisayuki Yagi hedged his bet just a little, saying that the car would have to be “of comparable spec and features.”

He specifically mentioned that a special edition may not push the team to action. Hopefully after watching the GTI Clubsport S’ record run the Civic Type R team has a change of heart.